


A Mountain of Truths

by Music_Feeds_My_Soul



Series: The Mountain Goes Everon [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alcohol Abuse, Modern Character in Thedas, Multi, Violence, mentions of drug and alcohol abuse, mountain climbing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-10 16:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6994702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Music_Feeds_My_Soul/pseuds/Music_Feeds_My_Soul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>First off- I wrote this so that anyone else in my situation can figure out what happened to them. From my findings, this is going to happen more and more.</i>
</p><p> </p><p> Elizabeth Snow is a nomadic mountain climber who lives for the adventure. When she gets dragged into the biggest adventure of her life- the act of being ripped right out of her world and into a new one- she struggles to find a way back home, while struggling with her own conflicted feelings about her family and herself. In the end, she has to choose: the life she had loved, or the one she loves now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Absiel

**Author's Note:**

> This story was born from an idea: An actually competent person ending up in Dragon Age. Not like the characters we see- ones who should probably die in the first few minutes, but someone who can make it. Someone who can possibly live without to much trouble in Thedas. I decided to try and do, so here we go!

_Codex: Dusty Journal. Found in Skyhold in the lower library. A penned message rests inside the front cover, written in Tevene. It is in a different ink then the rest of the journal.  
_

First off- I wrote this so that anyone else in my situation can figure out what happened to them. From my findings, this is going to happen more and more.

 Second- I understand. You’re confused, you’re lost- you’re probably injured to. But please, don’t toss this book away with a snort. This is mostly a journal but, it’s also a guide. Please read it.

 This story is about me, and how my life changed one day when I had been climbing the Grand Canyon after a visit to my sister.

-0-

I remember the first mountain I ever climbed. It was in the Rocky Mountains, near Fernie.

 I was eighteen, just graduated school. My parents had bought me lessons, mostly out of guilt. I had asked for them due for… god, I can’t even remember. Probably so they would stop looking at me like that, so they would stop looking like they wanted to cry.

 I went to the lessons, not really expecting much. There were three girls, one guy and our teacher- a college kid who kept flirting with the girls.

 “Elizabeth Snow?” one of the girls- a blonde I think- had asked me. She had been ticking off names so I guessed she had been the assistant teacher.

 “Yeah.” I agreed. I remember her look. She’d looked at me like she was dissecting me. I stood there in a fresh hair cut, baggy clothes and my nails torn up after I had ripped off the gel nails I used to wear. I stood there with holes in my ears and a dead look in my eyes.

 “Nice to meet you.” She said, turning away to chat with the others. I didn’t bother doing anything. I was to numb.

 I went through the lessons, not really caring until we set out to climb our first mountain. Just a baby one- a day’s work.

 I remember climbing up. I remember feeling my arms burn, my legs ache. I remember the feeling as I climbed, as I nearly fell. I remember the terror.

 I also remember standing on top of that mountain and looking over the valley. I remember standing there, and for the first time in my life, feeling free.

 It was an intoxicating feeling. I chased it for years after.

 I climbed more and more mountains. I wrote books about it, selling them and making enough so I never actually had to have a ‘real’ job. I would drive in my beat up car going through borders so I could find new mountains. Or I would fly.

 I often found places that needed an extra pair of hands somewhere and would offer them, finding freedom there.

 I loved it.

 And then… it all changed.

 “Hey Hannah!” I said cheerily on the phone as I munched on breakfast. I was sitting on a ledge, my harness firmly strapped to me.

  “ _Hey El,”_ my youngest sister said, sounding tired. “ _How is climbing the Grand Canyon?”_

 “Eh, pretty good. Better then the last time I was here- they didn’t demand I take an extra partner.”

 “ _Which you should.”_ Hannah said dryly on the phone. “ _Hold a sec- Jared, Scarlet has a recitle tomorrow!”_ I listened to Hannah argue with her husband as I leaned back on the ledge.

 I never took a climbing partner. Stupid? Yes. Dangerous? Oh hell yeah.

 But… I just couldn’t. Maybe it sounds a bit stupid, but I never really felt free when someone was with me. It was personal, my climbing. It made me who I was.

 “ _That- argh!!! Why did I marry him?”_

 “He’s your boss’ son, and you got pregnant while dating him.” I said dryly. That had been fun. Hannah was an outright genius, and worked her way up through the company with her brain and her own two hands. Dating Jared had originally been a means to an end. Now she was stuck with him.

 “ _Oh, who asked y-nope, not going there.”_ Hannah said firmly. “ _Anyway, father called, asking about you. I told him to leave you alone.”_ The anger and bitterness in her voice made me wince.

 “Thanks Hannah.” I said softly, hiding my own tone rather easily. Out of all my siblings, Hannah and I were the most affected by what we called the ‘dark’ period.

 “ _No problem… wait, give me a second, I have- wait, what!?”_ Hannah’s voice turned shocked and horrified. “ _Oh shit- Look, El, I have to go. Something happened in New York to one of the factories.”_

 “Yeah, I get it. Go be big boss.”

 “ _I’m not the boss.”_ I snorted and ended the call, finishing up my protein bar. I stuffed the wrapped into my pack and slung it onto my back. Time for more climbing.

 I continued my way up, debating about calling my father later as I climbed up, using nuts when needed.

 I was leaning to not honestly. I hadn’t talked to him in over eight years, and while most of my siblings- particularly my two triplets Rosalyn and Margret- had pretty much called me ungrateful and a horrible daughter, Hannah and Marcus- the youngest child of us- had been understanding.

 There was a reason I only spoke to those two now.

 I was sliding a nut into a crevice when the rocks began to rumble. Cursing I moved away, holding onto a sturdy ledge. The rocks tumbled… inward into something.

 “What the hell?” I asked out loud. I reached out and pushed on the area, causing more rocks to fall inward into… a cave. It was deep, with no clear end to it.

 Now, the smart thing to do would be to go down and head to an information center, to the climbing center. It would be to tell someone, get this part of the canyon cut off and have professionals enter.

 I was not a smart person.

  I went into the cave, removing my harness from my body and stowing it and the rope into my backpack. I dug out my flashlight and lit it up, taking a step into the cave.

 The cave was… weird. It was very smooth, like it had been filed down or something. I walked further in the cave, turning around and looking at everything.

 “Way to go Elizabeth, find the creepy cave.” I said to myself, a habit I’d picked up over the years while alone. Sometimes you need sound. “Go into the creepy cave, and now you’re probably going to fall and break something.”

 Halfway into the cave, and I heard a hum… well, felt is a better way to explain it. I felt it vibrate in me, the hair on my arms standing up and my shoulders growing tense.

 “Please don’t be like an alien spaceship.” I spoke to the air as I went further into the cave, looking for anything. I eventually came to a dead end though, and sighed, looking around.

 “Boring.” I declared as I turned around in a circle, looking for anything.

 My phone began to ring then, and I pulled my backpack off, digging out my phone. I ended up cutting my hand on one of my cramming devices. Cursing, I yanked it out and shook my hand. Sticking my finger into my mouth, I stuck my flashlight under my chin and pulled out my phone from my bag, letting it drop to the ground.

 “Hey?” I answered it curiously.

  _“El, I think my husband may be paying people to break into the stores.”_ I cursed.

 “Shit, really? Hannah, this is-“ the hum suddenly heightened, and a glow appeared around me. I looked down to see a strange pattern on the ground- swirls and angles and wow, what…

 “ _El? What’s that noise?”_

 “I don’t-“ I began but a sudden flash of light cut me off, and then… I was gone. It felt like I was swirling, moving around and around until I slammed into the ground, my helmeted head hitting the ground.

 Still lost conscious though. What a lovely day.

-0-

 I’m not a huge drinker, nor am I a drug user. For one- alcohol reminds me of the Dark Period, and for another, mountain climbing is stupid when you’re high or an addict.

 But I have woken up in weird places with little memory before. Mostly it was whenever I’d go off and climb a random mountain, only to collapse when I found myself on the ground. Exhaustion, dehydration, injuries once in a while… often I’d find myself in a hospital, or in a house.

 So, I wasn’t to shocked to find myself somewhere I had no memory of.

 I was shocked that it was a ruin. I was still in a cave, that much was obvious, but it was broken, pieces of stone on the ground. A strange light filled it, almost green like.

 “…What the fuck?” I asked, standing up and looking around. Have I been stranded in a mountain before? Yes. Have I gotten out before? Yes.

 But this… this was weird. No hole in the roof as far as I could see, so I couldn’t have fallen through the cave floor.

 I looked down at my stuff- luckily I still had my pack.

 “Wish I had my haul bag though.” I said to myself, thinking of the large pack I had for long term climbs, and not quick day jaunts like the Canyon had been.

  I had only brought my backpack on the climb in the Canyon. I had my climbing equipment, about seven protein bars, a water bottle, a bottle of wine I carried with me all the time, my phone, a solar charger, a first aid kit and my recipe books. That was it. I hadn’t expected to freaking…

 “Fuck!” I threw my hands up and huffed, grabbing my flashlight and pack. I put the pack on with a huff. I checked my phone but I didn’t have a singal from it.

 Typical.

 “Now what?” I asked myself. The smart idea would be to wait where I was, someone would find me. But I wasn’t packed for a survival trip, just a day of climbing. I needed food, water. If I was lucky, I could potentially find a way out. If I wasn’t… well, I would die.

 “…Stupid idea it is.” I said before I began to walk out of the cave, down the long tunnel connected to it.

 I walked and walked, finding myself in a hall of some sorts. Or at least I think it was. It was a huge hall, with strange murals on the walls. They looked familiar to me as I studied them. It somewhat resembled old plates stuck to the wall. Curious, I used my phone to take a few pictures of the walls.

 “Is this a temple?” I wondered as I took said photos. It was undiscovered at the most, meaning that when I got out, I could probably make some cash off the discovering of a temple or whatever it was. “Probably temple with the gold plates.” I mused, reaching out to touch one mural but froze. Something buzzed in my head not to touch it.

 I frowned, and continued on my way. Something about the place was bugging me, irritating me in a weird way. I had no clue what it was though.

 Eventually I found a possible entrance- a huge golden door with carvings in it.

 “What the hell?” I asked upon seeing it.

 I’d been to various places around the world, and various places of worship but… these carvings were weird. Elegant lines and runes, they covered the door. I also felt the hum again, seeming to resonating from the door. I shivered.

 This… this was strange.

 I took a picture, and reached out, only to stop.

Something was telling me not to do it, to stay in the cave. To never leave, or things would change. Change more then I could imagine.

 I was thirty-two. I had traveled to more places then most people twice my age. I’d worked as a cook in a tiny village in Norway, helped build houses in Africa, I’d climbed the Alps, I’d climbed in Peru. I cut off almost all contact from my family years back, and only spoke briefly to my youngest sister and brother once in a while.

 Things always changed for me.

 “This won’t be such a big change.” I told myself as I pulled the door open, surprised by the light weight, only to be confronted with something.

 I wasn’t in the canyon. I was on the side of a mountain but…

 It was overlooking a forest, with a sea behind it.

 “…Okay… this is not real.” I muttered, taking a step back, but I was blocked by something. Turning around, I found that the door I had stepped through had shut without me noticing. I reached out and pushed on it, but it wouldn’t move. I stared at it before turning back to the cliff I was standing on. Broken stone showed steps had led to the place, but something had destroyed it.  

 I opened my bag and pulled on my harness. I hadn’t taken off my helmet or my belay gloves, so I was good for that. Carefully, I stuck a nut into a crack, hooking my harness to it and leaning over the edge.

 “Rocks, rocks and more rocks. Sharp ones. Probably a good idea not to climb down this.” I turned and looked up.

 A few feet, easy looking climb, flat part on top. Shouldn’t be to hard. I began the climb, careful not to fall onto the rocks at the bottom.

 Once I got up there, I began to walk, removing my gear and stuffing it into my bag. It was… strange. The air felt weird as I breathed it in. I was confused as I walked, looking around.

 Yes, there was a forest in the canyon, but this… this was weird. This was strange.

 As I walked I heard voices speaking. At first I was relieved, until I realized they were speaking Russian.

 “Ah, fuck.” I groaned. I knew Russian- I enjoyed climbing the Ural Mountains, and I was Russian on my mother’s side. But I wasn’t fluent, and what they were speaking… it was a bit archaic, rather strange and old sounding. Praying that they were tourists who knew English, I called out in Russian, “Hello?”

 I walked around a bunch of rocks only to be stopped by a sword to the face. It was held by a white haired man… with pointed ears.

 “…What the ever-loving fuck?” I blurted out in English. White haired guy jumped and then snarled.

 “Who are you?” snarled the white-haired man in English. And wow, he had lovely tattoos I noticed as I stared. He looked pissed though.

 “Come on Broody, our friend here isn’t armed,” Another voice spoke up. I turned to the speaker and froze.

 Around a year or so back I had ended up getting injured in a climbing accident. Marcus had insisted I come and stay with him while I was healing, so it was off to France for a few months. Bored, I ended up taking over his TV and playing some of his games.

 One had been a game called Dragon Age: Inquisition. I had enjoyed it- playing it through twice- but I hadn’t played the others. I remembered the characters though, including my favorite story teller…

 “This… friend is speaking Tevene dwarf.” Snapped white haired guy. Varric Tethras blinked, and then looked at me suspiciously.

 “Well… shit.” I uttered, as I stared.

 Maybe my life could go through another big change.


	2. Bail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth explains things to Hawke and the crew and gets a home.

 I don’t actually remember much of my first meeting with who I would later know as Hawke, Varric, Fenris and Merrill- in fact, I barely remember the first few days of my time in Thedas. Anders- who I met later- would tell me it was because of shock mixed with the fact I only caught a word or two while they spoke, plus a concussion from smacking my head on the ground.

  As such, what little I do remember of the first few days is a bit of a blur. Still, this wouldn’t be complete without at least a brief explanation of my first few days. I had to ask around. After ignoring what Hawke, Varric and Isabela said, I managed to scrape together a pretty good idea of what went on during that day, thanks mostly to Fenris and Aveline.

 “Whoa buddy, I just woke up in a ruin, I am not a slaver.” I told Fenris bluntly after catching ‘slaver’ in their conversation. It was all in Russian, and I cursed myself for letting myself get rusty in my language skills.

  French, English and Spanish I was fluent in- French and English from growing up in Canada with relatives in Quebec as well as Marcus having moved to France, and Spanish due to my last two years of high school being spent in many clubs so I could avoid my family. It developed into a bit of a passion, learning languages, but in recent years I was slowing down and not using the ones I knew enough.

  I had originally been nearly fluent in Russian, thanks to my maternal grandmother, a Russian woman with a good sense of humor, but I hadn’t bothered speaking it since I was last in Russia, three years back. Something I was kicking myself over.

 “A likely story.” Fenris snarled back at me. Hawke snorted.

 “Yes, I bet her fabulous armor-“ I didn’t catch much more but I had a feeling he was mocking my apparel- apparently shorts, climbing shoes, a t-shirt and belay gloves aren’t slaver chic.

 Go figure.

 “Are you a her?” Merrill piped up then. “Oh, is that rude to ask?” she blushed, and I snorted, waving a hand.

 “Yeah I am.” I wasn’t insulted. I didn’t look female, years of living rather frugally as well as keeping in extreme shape had made my chest rather tiny. Add in the short hair and height and most never really could figure it out.

 I liked it though… not that I gave much thought to why I did. I’d rather not think about that, no matter how unhealthy it probably was.

 They started talking again, and I sighed, lost once more.

 Now, most would be freaking out right then, probably betting their hallucinating or dreaming, but… well, I don’t hallucinate. Well… not on pain killers and not while in pain.

 And this was… to vivid to be a dream. Also, shock. Very much still in shock then. Plus my head had ached something fierce- that I do remember.

 So yeah, I was pretty much zoned out during this encounter, barely understanding what the hell was going on.

 “If you are not a slaver, why are you here?” Fenris demanded in English, but still in the strange archaic version.

 No, wait, Tevene. It was Tevene… but why did it sound like English?

 “I woke up in a ruin after a…” I frowned, trying to remember what had happened. “I was… climbing the Grand Canyon, an easy route. I ended up finding a cave that I decided to explore. My sister called me and… a bright light happened, and then poof, cave.” I waited a bit while he translated.

 “…could be…”

 “…ask her…”

 One thing that sticks out the most from the foggy memories are the fact that it was annoying not knowing what was going on.

 “How did your sister call you?” Fenris asked. I answered by pulling out my phone and clicking the home button.

 That was when things went to hell… or well, when things got interesting.

 Their initial reactions… well, Varric was very willing to tell what everyone else reactions had been but I had to ask Fenris and Hawke for his.

 It went something like: Hawke dropped his staff and stared at the ting. Merrill jumped forward in curiosity, Fenris growled and jerked back while Varric swore loudly.

 “This is a phone- it can contact anyone else in an instant…” I stopped, frowning as I tried to remember all the Russian I needed before huffing. “I’m not from this world!”

 “Demon!” Fenris instantly jumped on that and I groaned.

 “No!” I waved my hands in annoyance. “Not a demon!”

 “…This is either going to be the greatest story ever or the one we never talk about unless drunk off our asses.” Varric said. (He told me he said this anyway.)

 “Or both.” Hawke said blankly.

 “Both… both is good.” Came from Varric.

 It didn’t take a long time to convince them- my phone did most of the work for me. Convincing Fenris I wasn’t a demon took longer. He did eventually back off when Hawke tossed magic at me and nothing happened- proving I wasn’t a demon somehow.

 “Oh, this is-“ Merrill began ranting after my explanation, looking thrilled- especially when I showed the pictures of the ruin, which she freaked out about. Apparently they were elven. She wanted to go see it right away, but I pointed out the door was now shut, and I didn’t want to take an inexperienced climber on the mountain.

None of us can really figure out what happened next- Varric claims that I oh so ‘thankfully begged to please my saviors by teaching them all I know’. According to Hawke I tried to seduce him. Fenris says I fainted. Merrill agrees, though she does also say: ‘Well, it was very hot and Eli was pale anyway, it’s no wonder she ended up passing out.’

 All I know is I ended up being carried back to Kirkwall in Hawke’s arms. I woke up in the Hanged Man- a bar I would eventually call home in a few days- with a blonde mage over me, checking on me.

 His hands pressed to my head and I groaned happily at the ease in my headache.

 “She has a concussion…shock…needs some time…” I groaned as things became jumbled and I lost track of the conversation.

 “This is going to be very annoying.” I grumbled. Fenris snorted.

 “Most likely, the abomination is always a pain to listen to.” He was calmer but he was reluctant to be my translator- which I had a feeling was because he wasn’t comfortable with the language himself honestly.

 I didn’t bother correcting him about what was annoying, identifying that his words were part of long stemmed issues that I had no business knowing. It was better to simply go with the flow.

 The crew came in a trickle to the room in the Hanged Man- first a beautiful woman with dark skin. She grinned wildly upon spotting me.

 “Another…” I lost her there and blinked at her, before turning to Fenris.

 “Do not ask.” His voice was incredibly dry and looking at Isabela again and her lavish smiles made me agree.

 I was probably better off not knowing.

 It went on like that for a while. I barely understood anything that was happening, and Fenris was very dry while translating. He also refused to translate for Merrill or Anders, leading to a very confused me.

 However, Isabela ended up knowing Tevene as well, and she was willing to translate… though I didn’t really consider half of her words true.

 Especially when Fenris smirked.

 However, I did meet everyone- just two more people, Hawke’s brother and the Guard Captain. Both were skeptic until my amazing phone was shown, and then they were just… weirded out but accepting.

 I had a feeling that it was really common to have weird events happen.

 Eventually it was agreed among the group that they would help me get home- or so Aveline said when I asked what had happened that day. Hawke had very cheerily stated while his brother Carver just groaned- that ‘his band of thieves, pirates, apostates and broody elves’ wasn’t ‘complete without a person from another realm’.

 I immediately placed him in the category as my brother Jonathan- a complete and utter jokester.

 With better hair though.

 “Does she need a backstory?” Hawke asked out loud as he studied me. I ignored him, preferring to sip the water given to me by the waitress… or bar maid. Whatever.

 “Why bother?” Carver snorted. “It’s not like anyone is going to ask her ‘Oh, are you from another world?’”

 “Point brother dearest, but she does speak Tevene.” Hawke pointed out. “That’s going to get some heads turned.

 “She can understand you… kind of.” I said tiredly. I understood the gist of it anyway.

 “Eh, Hawke’s right.” Varric piped up. “Nobody is going to leave a Tevinter alone, she needs a good story.”

 “And you’re the one to create it obviously.” Fenris said dryly.

 “Simple is always best.” I said. “How about… I am… um… half?” I shook my head, frustrated with the language.

 “Calm down, healing head wounds takes longer then you’d think.” Anders told me, grabbing my head and holding it again.

 “She’s right though, simple is the best… hmm…” Varric hummed. “Ah, like you said you’re half Tevinter, and you’re related to Aveline here-“ her jerked his thumb at Aveline who raised her eyebrow at him.

 “Why me? Why not Hawke?”

 “It’ll draw to much attention to the apostate.” Varric responded. “I would go Rivani, but her skin tone’s a bit to light for that.” I cast a look at my arm. I wasn’t as dark as my sister Hannah or our father, but I was the second darkest of our siblings. It had always been tough, growing up and not resembling most of the family. Rosalyn and Margret had been pale skinned, and I was always asked if I was adopted, despite constant proof we were triplets. People asked if I dyed my hair blond and never believe me when I replied it was natural. I was always whispered about being the adopted child when I was out with my mother, and when my parents were out together before everything with all of us? There were stares and mutters. It drove use mad.

 Isabela’s skin tone was like my sisters, though maybe a shade lighter. She honestly could pass as a sibling of mine, and here Varric was saying that we didn't match, that because of our skin tone we couldn't be related.

 I was immediately insulted and furious. I dug my phone out and flipped through pictures, ignoring the looks before I found a picture. It was of me, Hannah, her twin girls Scarlet and Kristen and Marcus.

 We were all posing outside of Marcus’ pastry shop and grinning like fools. I was in my usual jeans and shirt, paired with a warm sweater a woman in Germany had knitted me after I worked for her as a farm hand. Hannah’s hair was out of it’s normal braid and almost resembled an afro, though it was weighed down by the sheer mass and length of her hair. She still wore her blouse and skirt though, still resembled the business woman she was. Marcus stood with his arms open wide, a grin on his face, dressed in black slacks and his work shirt, an apron covering him.

 Scarlet and Kristen took up the rest. Scarlet and Kristen were pretty much carbon copies of their mother, identical twin sisters. Scarlet’s wild mane of hair was pulled into a ponytail, hair escaping it and it was very poofy. Her clothes were jeans and a nice shirt. Kristen had her hair in a braid and wore a red dress.

 I took a moment to study it. The girls were… six then. Hannah had been depressed that year and went to Marcus for Christmas. I had been there as well, Marcus having insisted on me coming instead of holding up in Norway. It was… two years back, some of the most fun I had in a long time.

 God, had it been that long? My anger dispersed, leaving pain.

 I had seen my sister before my trip to the Canyon, but it was brief. The girls were at school and she was busy with the buisness. We spoke for an hour but...

 _I might never see them again._ I remember thinking this incredibly clearly and feeling my heart stutter to a stop. I remember realizing I might never see my neices grow up, might never be able to encourage Marcus to ask out that girl he'd been eyeing, might never encourage Hannah to divorce Jared again.

 No, no I have to not think about that, I can't... [ _Ink becomes splotchy and runny from tears, and an entire paragraph is scribbled out.]_

"What's that?" Isabela asked me curiously. I pushed down my sadness and focused on the now.

 “Sister, brother, nieces.” I said, showing them the picture. I glared at Varric who held up his hands.

 “I get it, you could be related to Rivani, but why would you come looking for a pirate?” I hesitated and then nodded.

 He had a point.

  “So… adventurer came to visit her cousin?” asked Hawke, looking thoughtful as his eyes narrowed. “But why would she come here?”

 “Nomad.” I said, pointing to myself. It was pretty true. “Stay and then go, never like long time one place. Bring news of sister’s death?” I shrug.

 “And you stay to support her with her recent promotion to Guard Captain.” Varric said, grinning happily. “Damn, and here I though I was the storyteller.”

 “I write books, money helps.” Varric looked interested, and we slowly began complaining about publishing and editors. Fenris stopped translating but we honestly didn’t need it.

 Every writer knows the pain.

 Varric arranged a room at the Tavern, along with me promising to pay him back as soon as I could.

 While they looked for a way home, I’d work. I always worked when I found myself in a new country, to earn money and to learn the customs, this would be no different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up cutting the work in half. Bottom part felt to rushed and the top... ugh, I rewrote it and rewrote it. I wanted it to actually feel like a journal, and I think I managed it... maybe. 
> 
> Elizabeth is a difficult person to write.


	3. Bummer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El gets to know the gang as a whole and gets a job.

 The next two weeks were filled with lessons on the language, Merrill and Fenris joining in as well when it was shown they didn’t have a firm grasp on ‘Common’ either, much to Varric and Hawke’s shock. They apparently hadn't realized that both had been raised speaking an entirely different language, and that meant that somethings went right over their heads at times. (Apparently there had been this 'brothel' comment from Merrill they had laughed off, but now look at her in a different light completely.)

 I actually learned fairly fast- I remembered Russian rather quickly though ‘Common’ was more archaic then the Russian I knew. It was similar enough I was comfortable speaking it after a while, though I still had a bit of work to do to be fully fluent in it.

All of my confusion on the language luckily could be blamed from not being originally from Ferelden or wherever they spoke Common the most. Merrill and Fenris as well learned fairly fast- their misunderstandings mainly stemming from the slangier parts of the language, as well as the subtler things most wouldn’t think to teach others. We were also being shown how to write and to read, which I was very happy about. Knowledge is power after all. I got a journal after the first little while, which is what I’m writing in right now.

 I want to chronicle what happens to me in Thedas- I want to be able to look back and smile about what happened to me when I’m home.

 My 'backstory' worked out pretty well with the Kirkwallers. Kirkwallians? Residents of Kirkwall? Note- figure out what is the proper form of adress. Aveline and I didn't interact much- she was to busy, but when we did, we acted like cousins.

 Awkward cousins, but still- cousins. We even went and lit a few candles in the Church- or Chantry. Whatever you call it. There was this brother there- Sebastian I believe his name was- who turned out had hired Hawke to kill some mercenaries who killed his family. He had noticed what we were doing, and had asked if he could know who we were lighting candles for.

 One for Aveline's husband, and one for my sister I'd explained. He had expressed sorrow for our loss, and that was it. Aveline had asked if my sister had died- I explained that yes, of my sisters had died- around six years back, but still. We hadn't talked about it since, but I think we're a bit closer now.

 I also landed a job… well, two.

 Well, one was more of a favor. Merrill really wanted to go see the ruins I had woken up in, and as such I agreed to teach her rock climbing. Hawke and the others tagged along on these lessons, so I ended up teaching them to. They were random really, and it turns out Merrill and Fenris were way better then the others at climbing. They just seemed to get it right away and could climb with ease.

 It was really impressive. I had been considered a quick learner, but I was pretty sure they would have left me in the dust faster then anyone else.

 I often taught them on the Wounded Coast, as it was a pretty good beginner spot. It was fun teaching them.

 Carver seemed to always be in competition with Hawke- who refused to give out his first name. He was scary good at dodging the matter. Carver was always pushing himself to do better then his brother, which was a bit unsettling.

 It reminded me a little to much of Jennifer and her constant need to prove herself as good as Hannah.

 I spent a bit more time with him then the others because of it, but Carver also had a knack for it I found great. He was a great climber, much better then Hawke.

 Though out of the humans Isabela was the best. She was naturally quick and athletic, and she was a pirate after all. She was used to climbing masts and ropes and the such- climbing mountains was a bit easier then that.

 One downside to teaching them on the Coast was that there were a lot of bandits… and spiders.

 Giant fucking spiders.

 No, I am not talking about those thank you very much.

 And I am not ashamed of my reaction to first seeing one thank you. GIANT SPIDER. I freaking hate the fuckers. Worst part of Australia had been those damn things, and now I'm in the Holy Fucking Grail of spiders. Gah.

 Evil awful things.

 My second job was actually acquired a bare three days into my time in Thedas. Corff, the man who owned the Hanged Man, had fired the cook due to the fact she was always drunk on the job. His rant about needed a new cook I had understood and I offered to show my skills. He'd been skeptical- apparently 'Tevinters' had a bad rep, which from what I remember of the game kind of made sense.

 Empire that had a history of evil magic and being tyrants? Yeah, stereotypes are bad and stuff, but honestly? I'd be giving them looks if they wanted to work for me to. I'm not ashamed to admit that.

 I was hired after showing how to make onion rings and fries. The drunks at the Hanged Man loved the stuff, and I intentionally made it saltier, so they got thirsty faster. Meaning more alcohol being bought to quench the thirst.

 “Smart, Squirrel.” Varric said upon my explanation of said tactics. I had made a less salty batch of fries for the nightly/weekly gathering in Varric's rooms, and Isabela had commented on it.

 “One day I will make you give up that nickname.” Varric snorted in answer and I just sighed.

 Scurry up a tree to escape a giant spider, and they never forget it.

 “It seems a bit under handed.” Aveline said as we sat around Varric’s table. They apparently had weekly Wicked Grace nights, and everyone joined in… even me, the ‘otherworlder’. Though they also used the excuse it helped with my language skills to get me to come, often getting me to talk about my world.

 It resembled poker enough I wasn’t to lost, but I never really liked card games much, so I bet little and enjoyed the atmosphere more.

 “Eh, I learned the trick in three different pubs I worked in… taverns.” I corrected myself, as I gazed at my cards. “One in Nepal, one in England, and one in China.”

 “And we have no idea where those places are Eli.” Hawke said, grinning as he happily cheated, Isabela the only one worse then him.

 “Countries back in my world. I visited Nepal often, Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth, and I always plotted how to climb it, but… every time I made plans something came up.” I frowned, thinking about the various times I got injured or family problems cropped up.

 "And Everest is in this... Nepa?" Fenris asked me.

 "Yeah. Ever since I really got into rock climbing I've always wanted to scale it." I grinned a bit, thinking of it. "I might end up becoming part of Rainbow Valley, but damn, I still want to."

 "Rainbow Valley?" asked Merrill, as she looked blankly at her cards. "That sounds like a pretty name."

 "It's the huge graveyard of bodies of the climbers who attempted to climb Mount Everest." I told them cheerfully. "They all froze to death, or died of something on the way up, and no one can remove the bodies."

 "...And you still want to climb the moutain?" Hawke asked. I nodded. "...Why can't I meet anyone normal?"

 "That's assuming you're normal Hawke." snorted Varric. We continued the game, me chatting about the various places I had been- other then Nepal. It ended up cycling back to jobs again though.

 “What were the more common jobs you took?” Anders asked me as he lost the pot again, much to good natured jeering from us.

 “Working as a cook was the most common… some times I was just a helping hand around the community… worked in a winery a few times.” I shrugged. “My father makes wine, so I already knew how to make it, so I just learned how to like… taste wine a certain way and how to…” I lost my sentence and made a face. “Stupid fucking…” I muttered in English, Fenris snorting at me from his seat beside me.

 “Is that what the bottle’s from?” asked Isabela. I frowned at her, as I hadn’t shown them anything from my bag but my water bottle. “What? You should live somewhere else rather then a tavern if you want your stuff safe- you really don’t have much.”

 “Everything is a weight factor- will this slow me down, could this be to much and break me?” I said, reciting a few worries I always had. “Do I really need this? Can I afford to leave this behind? How many protein bars do I need? Mountain climbing is pretty serious, everything has to be considered.”

 “And you bring a bottle of wine and a pair of books with you.” I made a face.

 “Those are… well…” I didn’t answer despite coaxing. I really didn’t want to talk about it.

 The books? Sure, they were all the recipes I gathered- dumplings from China, fish and chips from England, fried brown bread from Russia, mozzarella sticks from America… I had a lot. Even actual meals to, like authentic Italian pizza I’d learned from a tiny grandmother while in Italy, dal-bhat-tarkari from Nepal…

 There were personal recipes to, ones I’d worked on myself, and a fair few family recipes.

 Those I barely looked at.

 And the wine was a family tradition, the only one I really kept. Dad had made us all a wine when we were born, and then made wine for the spouses- I believe. I know he made one for Jared, and then some for Scarlet and Kristen. I carried mine around for various reasons, but I kept it with me. It was one of the original batch he had made for me.

 “Anyway, back to the question- I worked in various places all the time. My favorite though had to be the time I worked in a museum in Egypt. That was fun.” I grinned happily. “I learned so much!”

 “For a woman complaining about sitting around, you sure like to read.” Varric said as he smirked at his cards. I shrugged as I glared at my own and folded grumpily.

 “I’ve always loved history. There’s this quote from some guy in my world… ‘Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.’” I said as I leaned back in my chair. “And I’m used to at least doing something other then cooking. You guys don’t have gym equipment here.” I pouted at that. Working out in Thedas was sparring and running. I didn’t draw to much attention with my running every morning- accompanied by Carver usually- but they didn’t have weights and the such.

 “You know Elizabeth; you have the build for a warrior.” Aveline spoke up, surprising me. She eyed my arms, which I grinned at.

 I’m downright proud of my arms, years of work had given me great muscles- everywhere actually.

 Hannah always told me that I looked like an idiot when I wore tank-tops because I always found ways to show my arms off.

 Marcus and the kids just encouraged me gleefully.

 “Thank you!” I said grinning, Isabela hummed, eyeing me. She had claimed the spot beside me and had often made flirtatious comments.

 “She does, those arms…” Isabela gave a little leer and I snorted.

 “Still not used to that.” One of the weirder things had been the discovery most people now found me attractive, thanks to the health care I had received back on Earth.

 That had been a weird day. I'd gotten hit on by about five different people and actually proposed to like twice. Isabela- after she was done laughing at me face- had scared them off and calmed me down. She was a nice person, and after my explantion of 'I'm not really into casual sex', she had stopped propositioning me to much. She didn't stop completely, but she knew I probably would never actually sleep with her.

 “I meant that Elizabeth could probably benefit from training.” Aveline said. “If she has the build, she could try.”

 “I can see it.” Carver agreed as I blinked.

 “…I’ve never held a sword in my life… no wait, I’ve never held a sword with the intent to use it.” I corrected myself, remembering working in the museum and handling some of the old weapons there.

 “What do they use for weapons in your world?” Merrill asked perkily.

 “Guns.” Was the bland answer. Upon their blank looks, I elaborated. “Small handheld weapons that use a powder to shoot out tiny pieces of metal at incredible speeds.”

 “Sounds like the blackpowder of the Qunari.” Remarked Varric, frowning.

 “I think gunpowder was called blackpowder before…” I said, frowning. “It was really common back home- you could actually learn how to make it if you knew where to look.” Namely, the internet.

 “Do you know how?” Isabela asked, her eyes sharp. I snorted, loudly.

 “God no. I can shoot a gun, disassemble it and put it back together, but I was never that could at chemistry… or alchemy.” I corrected myself. “Hannah, my sister, was the genius of the family. She managed to get into a school for like the elite on her own merit.” I grinned, remembering that day fondly. I had been moved out, and had cut off most contact with the family, other then the occasional call from dad. I only willingly called Hannah or Marcus.

 Hannah had called me first, excited and elated as she cheered through the phone. Best part was that the school was in the city I lived in, so I offered her my spare room- my roommate had left.

 My grin slid off as I remembered what else happened then as well, but I pushed the thought away.

 Don’t think about it El.

 “She probably knows. She was always into the idea of making things. She might have ended up a business woman, but the woman I know still makes her own make-up by hand.” I laughed. “Back to weapons, I shot a bow a few times though… I think that was… god… six or five years ago? My ex-fiancé’s father was this nut for archery and he liked to show off.”

 “Now that sounds like another story!” Varric said eagerly, leaning forward as did the rest of the table. I snorted.

 “Not really much of a story. Meera was an archeologist, her father was one as well and his father was one. She was proud to carry on the tradition. I actually met her when climbing a mountain in… Taiwan I believe.” I frowed, trying to think that far back. Meera had been my second fiancé, and a close friend even after our mutual break-up. “We were good friends for a few months and then started dating. Her father was extremely accepting of us, and he taught me a bit about archery, though I never could get the proper hang of it.”

 “How did she become an ex?” Varric asked, leaving forward in interest.

 “I don’t like staying in one place to long, but Meera was more of a homebody. She went on digs and such, but she always wanted to become a curator of a museum. We tried- I traveled to the digs, and went climbing while she worked, and that Egyptian museum I worked at was her idea… I just… well, I couldn’t stand being in one place longer then six months. We started fighting a bit, and it turned out Meera couldn’t stand the fact I was interested in girls and guys. We fought some more and I took off for England in a huff. After a week, I called her and we talked it out. Decided we would break-up but remain friends.” I shrugged. “Pretty basic.” I refused to look at anyone.

 I wasn’t ashamed of how Meera and I broke up- honestly, I’d been somewhat expecting it. We’d been quite compatible in a lot of reguards, but we just never… fit romantically. So no, I wasn't ashamed.

 I just didn't like talking about it.

 “So, are you more comfortable with a bow then?” Aveline voiced, eyeing me. I shrugged.

 “Eh, I nearly shot myself with one, so no.”

 “…How does that work?” Varric asked. I snorted.

 “No clue whatsoever, thank you.” They all shared a laugh.

 “Well, I think you’d benefit from some training Elizabeth.” Aveline announced. “You seem like the type to prefer two-handed weapons compared to the sword and shield though.”

 “Her height will help with that as well.” Carver voiced, and I grinned.

 Carver, Aveline and I were the tallest of the group. I was six-feet while Carver had at least two inches on me. Aveline was about my height- maybe a bit taller but it was hard to tell. Carver and I had found a small joy in teasing Hawke who was at least three inches smaller then me. He puffed up so funnily.

 “Who would teach her though?” Hawke asked curiously. “With the expedition to the Deep Roads coming up-“ I jerked a bit, dropping my cards.

 I had half convinced myself I wasn’t in a different world. I’d told myself I was simply in a Third World country, working a small job and making friends with the locals.

 Until they mentioned Deep Roads, I had been happy in denial.

 “You alright Squirrel?” Varric asked. I nodded, picking the cards up.

 I’m not going to think about it.

 “I can’t teach her.” Aveline said, frowning. “I’m to busy with the guard.” She looked a bit sad at that. We got along pretty well, though I mostly stuck to the Hanged Man.

 “I can’t, I’m to busy following him.” Carver jerked his head at Hawke, who pouted.

 “Doesn’t my brother love me? I’m hurt Carver!”

 “Wounded even?” I quipped, and Hawke nodded, pouting at Carver who rolled his eyes.

 “I suppose I don’t get a choice then?” Fenris asked, sounding annoyed. He glared at us, and I shrugged.

 “I could do something in return? Like cook for you?” Fenris paused and tilted his head, before he nodded.

 “That is acceptable.”

 Seems even in Thedas the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.

 Or he was just tired of having to come to the Hanged Man for food… or use money. Either works honestly.

 The night continued with Isabela taking the pot and my promise to make her free meals for a week in exchange for getting half my money back.

 It was actually a pretty average night for us as we played cards.

 And now, here I sit, writing in this journal. It’s a bit strange being here, but I know I’ll look back on my time in Thedas and laugh one day. I’ll have fond memories and a few regrets. I always do when I leave a new place.

 I'm hoping I can go home soon though- there's an expedition Hawke is part of coming up. He's taking almost all of the group with him- Aveline and Isabela are staying behind but everyone else is going. If I'm not home before they leave, I'd have to wait almost a full eight months until they got back to go home.

 I really don't want to do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to write. El refused to go along with the plotline and went: I want a card game! So I had to listen.


End file.
